


sun-kissed mornings with you

by apotheosizing



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Future Fic, Moving In Together, Multi, Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:08:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24680596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apotheosizing/pseuds/apotheosizing
Summary: The day after Natsume, Taki, and Tanuma move in together, the trio have their first communal breakfast.
Relationships: Natsume Takashi/Taki Tooru/Tanuma Kaname
Comments: 2
Kudos: 35
Collections: Rare Pairs Exchange 2020





	sun-kissed mornings with you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [azurrys](https://archiveofourown.org/users/azurrys/gifts).



> I was so excited to see this ship nominated that I just had to write a quick treat. I don't typically write fluff but for these good kids I think I can make an exception. I hope you enjoy this little slice-of-future-life fic!

Natsume awoke to the gentle sound of the kitchen cabinet closing, the comforting smell of grilling fish accompanying it. The waking came in degrees, pushing through the faint haze of fatigue that still lingered from the afternoon of work the three of them had spent moving the boxes into which they had packed up their previous lives into the house. The Fujiwaras had insisted on helping and Hinoe, Misuzu, and the other members of the Dog's Circle did what they could without bumping into the older couple, it had remained a surprisingly time-consuming task.

He carefully propped himself up onto his elbows with some difficulty, trying not to jostle the still-sleeping Nyanko-sensei. Despite the fact that he had returned the final name in the Book of Friends Sensei had refused to leave, mumbling something about idiot Natsume still needing his protection, and gone so far as the start curling up next to him in his bed at the Fujiwaras'. It had taken him several hours of curling up, waiting a few moments to assess how comfortable that spot on the bed was, and concluding it wasn't the one before he had settled down last night in the valley between Natsume's right side and Tanuma's left, much to Taki's disappointment.

With nothing more than the faint rustle of the sheets, he extricated himself from the downy covers. He glanced at the hands of the clock that Taki had fished out of one of the innumerable boxes before they had gone to sleep - 09:45. The sunlight dappled the spotless wooden floors of their - and wasn't that a strange thought, _their_ \- bedroom flooded in where he parted the shoji that led out to the small east-facing balcony, prompting a particularly loud snore from Sensei.

Even seeing the pair of trees that grew in their backyard and the curve of the street as it dipped down the hillside didn't dispel the feeling that Natsume was still dreaming.

He pulled the pair of slippers that Touko had given him with a smile the night after he had told them, voice wavering, that he wanted to live with Taki and Tanuma before making his way downstairs. He held back by the open shoji to the kitchen, watching a scene that was both familiar and strange unfolding before his eyes. When it had been Shigeru and Touko, it would be Shigeru sitting at his usual spot near the entrance, coffee steaming from one of the mugs he had made himself, while Touko set out Natsume's portion across from him. Both would smile at him and ask if he had anything planned for the day, a memory that filled his heart with a warmth tinged with the faintest sadness that he wouldn't see those smiles as often.

Unlike Touko, of himself, Tanuma, and Taki, none were accomplished cooks, though Tanuma had an unhoned knack for it. Instead of one person at the stove, Taki was cracking eggs onto a bed of rice for each of them into the set of blue-painted bowls Shigeru had made for them as a housewarming gift while Tanuma kept an eye on the fish as it browned under the heat. It wasn't a perfect synchronicity, but the two moved around the kitchen with purpose, avoiding the boxes that contained most of their cookware, talking and laughing with low voices so as not to wake him.

The idea of leaving the Fujiwaras had been bittersweet, even a little nerve-wracking, before he had told them of his intentions. He couldn't help the feeling of missing the kind couple who had done so much to help him heal from bubbling up in his chest from time-to-time as he'd viewed houses with Taki and Tanuma but those feelings melted away in the face of sight before him.

It would be different, of course, living with people who loved him in a different way than the Fujiwaras but watching Tanuma and Taki laughing at their mistakes and helping each other fix them, he had the sudden unshakable sense that they would manage to stumble through living together with each other's help. Maybe, once they had all brushed up on their skills, they could invite the Fujiwaras to share a meal with them where his family both new and old would be waiting.

Taki was the first to notice him, her eyes drifting over to him after she set out the three bowls of tamago kake gohan on the table. "Natsume! We didn't think you were awake yet."

Tanuma, startling slightly, turned to him with a skewered fish in hand. "We wanted to surprise you," he said. "These aren't quite done yet." He pulled the lid off one of the pots, releasing a puff of steam that smelled strongly of miso. "This could use a few more minutes, too."

Natsume smiled at them through misty eyes, wondering how he had ever gotten so lucky. "I can watch the soup," he offered. "You two can't be the ones helping me all the time." With perfect ease, they both acquiesced with only minor joking objections and soon the kitchen was filled with a third voice's laughter as well.


End file.
